The Carrathool Shire is a local government area that borders both the Riverina and Far West regions of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire comprises and is located adjacent to the Mid-Western Highway and north of the Sturt Highway.
The largest town in the Shire is Hillston and the council seat is Goolgowi. The Shire also includes the villages of Merriwagga, Rankins Springs and Carrathool.
Where once regular droughts made life almost untenable, the area now has irrigated crops, gardens, greened sporting facilities and village verges. Over are now used in rural pursuits, including more than in wheat, rice, vineyards, cotton, potatoes, vegetables and orchard trees. Most of the change was made possible by the widespread use of river and underground water.
Demographics Selected historical census data for Carrathool Council local government areaCensus year 201120162021Population Estimated residents on census night LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales % of New South Wales population % % %% of Australian population % % %Cultural and language diversity Ancestry,top responses Australian% % %English% % %Irish% % %Scottish% % %Australian Aboriginaln/c n/c %Language,top responses(other than English) Punjabi% % %Spanishn/c n/c %Malayn/c n/c %Gujaratin/c n/c %Korean% % %Religious affiliation Religious affiliation,top responses No religion% % %Catholic% % %Anglican% % %Not statedn/c % %Uniting Church% % %Median weekly incomes Personal income Median weekly personal incomeA$527 A$681 A$837% of Australian median income% % %Family income Median weekly family incomeA$1143 A$1538 A$1814% of Australian median income% % %Household income Median weekly household incomeA$942 A$1240 A$1516% of Australian median income% % %
History In May 1934 Carrathool Shire Council voted to remove the shire offices from Carrathool to Goolgowi. The decision was made because Carrathool township was located at the south-west corner of the large shire, whereas Goolgowi was in a more central position.'Transfer of Council Chambers', Sydney Morning Herald, 9 May 1934, page 14.
Council
Current composition and election method Carrathool Shire Council is composed of ten councillors elected proportionally as two separate wards, each electing five councillors. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021. The makeup of the council is as follows:
PartyCouncillors Independents and Unaligned 10 Total 10
The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election by ward, is:
WardCouncillorPartyNotesA Ward Darryl Jardine Unaligned Mayor Heather Lyall Independent Geoff Peters Unaligned David Fensom Independent Julie Potter Unaligned B Ward Mick Armstrong Unaligned Leon Cashmere Unaligned Beverley Furner Unaligned Deputy Mayor William Kite Independent Damon Liddicoat Unaligned
Election results 2024
2021
2016
References